HEALTH ISSUES: The Ugly Truth About Fake Drugs!

If this were to be a speech, I will start by urging us to observe one minute silence for the souls of those who have left us as result of taking fake drugs…
In the early ’90′s, 196 children died in Ibadan, Jos, Onitsha and other parts of the country after ingesting fake paracetamol syrup. In 1995, fake meningitis vaccine sourced from Onitsha drug market killed thousands of children in northern Nigeria and Niger republic. In 1996, Vipharm(chinese company based in Lagos) dumped 200m worth of expired drugs in Idumota drug market for revalidation. In 1998, Lagos State Medicine Dealers Association donated N20m worth of fake drugs to the then Chairman of the Federal Task Force on fake drugs. These were batches of drugs seized from some of the dealers who traded in them.

More recently in 2001, Lagos State Medicine Dealers Association donated another stock of N685m worth of fake drugs seized from its members to NAFDAC and in 2008, 84 children died after ingesting the notorious ‘my pikin’ teething formula.

Over the years, dealers of fake drugs or better put, merchants of death, due to their greed and callousness have continued to enrich themselves at the cost of innocent lives.But what really is a fake drug?

In the Nigerian Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Miscellaneous Provisions) Decree; а fake drug is defined as any drug or drug product which is so colored, coated, powdered or polished that the damage is concealed or which is made to appear to be better or of greater therapeutic value than it really is, which is not labeled in the prescribed manner or which label or container or anything accompanying the drug bears any statement, design, or device which makes а false claim for the drug or which is false or misleading. Simply put, a fake drug is any drug product which is not what it purports to be. According to W.H.O, commonly faked drugs are antibiotics, antimalarials, hormones, steroids and antiretrovirals.

So far so good, the agencies set up by the government to counter fake drugs have succeeded in creating awareness and burning seized drugs on television. I’m not trying to justify or crucify them. We all know what it takes to come against the powers that be in this country. The real question now is; what can we do to protect ourselves from the counterfeit drug dealers and manufacturers?

Here are some tips that can help:

- Reduce your potential for taking counterfeit drugs by only buying from reputable and licensed pharmacy where you know the pharmacist.

- Request a sample of the prescribed drug from the pharmacist to give you a “baseline” idea of its characteristics such as appearance, taste, texture, reactions, and packaging.

- Compare the prescription drug you receive with what it is supposed to look like using pictures from reference books or online.

- Look for differences in packaging or the pills themselves, including changes in paper, printing, color, or type font.

- Be aware of the drug’s taste and any feelings once you take it. If possible, keep a diary of reactions for future reference.

- Are you feeling better as a result of taking the medication? Is it doing what the doctor said you should expect it to do?

- Contact your doctor and pharmacist if the drugs don’t seem to have the same taste or if you feel different.

- Contact the pharmacy if you have any concerns about the drugs’ quality or have confirmed differences in packaging, labeling, or pills.

- If you confirm that a drug is counterfeit, remove it immediately from your medicine cabinet, mark it and tape the container shut so that no one in the family can take it by mistake.

- Gather all information you can find on how, where, and when you obtained the counterfeit medication and how long you have been taking it.

- Contact your doctor and pharmacist if you smell a rat.

- Don’t buy from a place that offers prescription drugs without a prescription.Its a sign they care more about the money.

- If it Looks Like a Fake and Tastes Like a Fake then it’s probably FAKE.

- Get familiar with your drugs. To the naked eye, these pills look extremely close to the real thing.

- Sometimes the numbers or logos imprinted on the pill can be seen slightly misaligned.Look for slightly altered labels or unsealed containers.

- You may even notice different side effects than you are used to, given the possibility of a minuscule amount of medicinal ingredients.

Even if you buy your medications at a reputable and licensed pharmacy, they may still sell you counterfeit medication without realizing it. So people, there is a high need for us to be at alert at all times when buying our medications.